Jn 14:7–14
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “If you know me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know him, and you have seen him.”
Philip asked him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, “What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever sees me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
All that I say to you, I do not say of myself. The Father who dwells in me is doing his own work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do.
Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father. Everything you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon my name, I will do it.“
REFLECTION
Why does the Decalogue have a commandment for children, whereas there is none for parents? The family is the setting of the Commandments and it is the responsibility of parents, especially of fathers, to hand them down to the children. (J. Granados) The obligations of Jewish fathers include: to circumcise his son, teach him the Torah, teach him a trade and find him a wife.
The father’s presence in the family is crucial for a mature development of a child. Teenage pregnancy, youth incarceration and drug-alcohol dependency are attributed to deadbeat dads and father’s absenteeism.
God, the Father, is always in sync with his Son, Jesus, and vice versa. Jesus incarnationally lives his Father’s presence and love to the fullest. “We must therefore let Jesus teach us what father really means … ‘Lord, show us the Father’ we say again and again to Jesus, and the answer again and again is the Son himself. Through him, and only through him, do we come to know the Father. And in this way the criterion of true fatherliness is made clear.” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth) We are all enjoined to emulate God’s Fatherhood and Jesus’ Sonship!
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